NAB puts off Maryam’s hearing amid ‘uptick in Covid cases’ | The Express Tribune

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has postponed PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz hearing at its Lahore office scheduled to be held tomorrow (Friday).

In a statement on Thursday, the anti-corruption watchdog said that the decision has been taken in view of the NCOC guidelines which include ban on all public gathering to contain the spread of novel coronavirus and “in wider public interest”.

“The NAB Lahore has decided to defer the hearing while new date for hearing of the case will be announced at a suitable time,” the bureau said in the statement.

Accordingly, NAB has decided to immediately withdraw security arrangements put in place for the appearance of Maryam Nawaz, it added.

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other leaders had announced that they will accompany the PML-N stalwart at the hearing “in show of solidarity”.

Also read: Maryam granted pre-arrest bail ahead of NAB March 26 hearing

Earlier in the day, the Lahore High Court (LHC) also set aside the NAB petition requesting the court to direct Maryam to appear at the bureau’s Lahore office without party workers and with a maximum of two persons.

The authority had said two persons may act as her support staff, out of which one may be an accountant to assist her.

The accountability watchdog failed to satisfy the court over “how a court could intervene in a purely political activity and pass an order for restraining a political party from its political activity”.

The same court on Wednesday also granted pre-arrest bail to the PML-N vice-president ahead of her hearing at the NAB Lahore bureau on March 26.

‘NAB – an institute of political engineering’

Soon after the anti-corruption watchdog’s decision, Maryam while addressing a press conference in Lahore said this time around she will not become “an easy target for NAB”.

Accusing the graft busters of targeting PML-N leaders at Prime Minister Imran Khan’s behest, Maryam said: “No matter how many press releases NAB issues, everyone knows it has become an institute of political engineering.”

She said NAB has withdrawn its notice fearing public backlash. “The people took strict notice of the political notifications of NAB.”

“Don’t use NAB to intimidate PML-N leaders… we are neither scared of NAB nor of your [PTI govt’s] revenge,” she said without naming the PM Imran’s government.